Firm Sculpting Series 3 - Excellent!

Amy Steppe

Amy Steppe

Cathlete
I bought this for $36 on Ebay. I love the new incline box and the workouts are far more intense than the Sculpting Series 2. I hated that Sculpting Stick. Mine kept falling apart, so I substituted my Body Bars (12 and 18 lb).

The new Firms do not require that stupid stick and the new box is versatile.

They remind me of the older Firms brought up to date.

I love Cathe, but sometimes I just need a change of pace.
 
I also use the Firm for a change of pace from Cathe, and I agree that the newer workouts are more intense that the other 2 kits. You may want to buy the add-ons through Collage. There are 2 more cardio workouts that are actually pretty hard, at least for me. I actually need a break during Lisa's and I have never needed breaks in Firm workouts before. Also, Pam's are pretty good for short easier days and would be excellent for taking on vacation. One of them uses nothing but the sculpting stick (no box), but of course you could use your body bars. The other uses only the box, sculpting stick, and 1 set of weights which can easily be done without the box. They both focus on the lower body.
 
I actually need a break during Lisa's and I have
>never needed breaks in Firm workouts before.


I'm scheduled to do Lisa's Advance Cardio this weekend for the first time. I hope I'm ready.

Susan
 
Amy, that's good to know! I only had the first set of "new" Firms and I absolutely hated them. WAY too easy, boring, and vanilla-like. Glad to hear they're working their way back to the Firm some of us knew and loved!!

Carol
:)
 
I like Stephanie's Total Muscle Shaping. The music and the routine is good. I also like Krista's. It's funny because after reading all the posts at the Forum about how skinny Krista and Pam were, and after the initial image starts to sink in ... then you put in one of the BSS 2 workouts ...like Allie's ( who is a really cute instructor )...I was surprised at how plump Allie and Emily looked. It scares me that all of a sudden my perception is warped. I just kept thinking, " Cute and chubby " when they are perfectly normal.
 
Allie

I have met Allie and in person she has a fantastic body! I have never met Emily.

Pam looks like death warmed over. She was so pretty when she did the Firm Strength video. Now her arms are skeletal and her face looks drawn -- I could not recognize her until I saw her name.

There is such a thing as too little body fat and that is as dangerous as too much body fat.

I think it is easy to get a distorted point of view about ourselves.....I daresay every one of us here looks better than our sedentary counterparts.

I refuse to follow some diet plan that restricts me to flax seed and protein powder.

It's all about moderation. I eat pretty much what I want, but in moderation.
 
RE: Allie

I bought these workouts a few weeks ago without the box. I just subbed my club size Step for the box and rigged up a way to incline it. It works great. The only problem I have is with the cueing. Whoever leads Fat Blaster doesn't cue well. I never know what foot I should be on and she seems to cue late. Once I get the hang of it though, I think it will be a great short cardio workout.
 
RE: Allie

Leslie:
you are talking about Fat Blasting Cardio w/ Lisa Kay. You are right, she does have a tendency to cue kinda late. It's taking me awhile to get the steps and moves, but I'm getting them! It's so much fun and different, don't you agree??

thanks and take care:)
gloria
 
RE: Allie

I noticed the late cuing as well. And I HATE that they turn the step to the side for some moves. If I turn mine to the side, I have to crank my neck around to see what they are doing (I'm a visual learner). If I face my step toward the TV, it's hard to translate what they are doing E-W to what I have to do N-S.
 
Has anyone noticed that the Hardcore set looks allot like the old Firm set from the 80's? dmd
 
RE: Allie

Turning the step to the side drives me mad also. When the instructor is facing you ..her left foot is your right foot but when the step turns to the side in the middle of the choreography...the instructor's right foot is your right foot. You can't move into it seamlessly. Once you get Lisa's choreography down..its a decent workou, albei short. I think Stepahnie's circuit workout is good except for the cardio which is wishwashy and I don't care at all for Krista's workout. It doesn't get my heartrate up nor do I feel really worked out when I'm finished. I like Pam's add-on ..the one for hips, thighs and abs. This is a totally different type of lower body workout.
 
Since we are on the Firm topic, I just borrowed Complete Aerobics and Weight Training and Calorie Killer from SIL. I don't know what Firm series this is from. I previewed it and it looks a little too low impact for me. Am I right? Maybe I've just become a Cathe snob. But they just don't look like fun workouts.
 
Thsnks for the feedback maybe I should give it a try. I wasn't sure if it would really get my heart rate up.
 
They're from BSS2. CAWT is a fun workout. I've never tried Calorie Killer but I've heard mixed reviews about it. Let's face it, you're not going to get Cathe's intensity with any of the Firm workouts, although there's a few that come close, but I like them for a change of pace.
 
I have exercised with Cathe & The Firm for many years...since the 80's actually, & I've always loved the total difference in style. I'm glad Cathe stays consistent. When the post 2000 Firm's came out, I bought them all & was disappointed in every single one. I decided not to waste money on BSS3 b/c I had already wasted money I could've had now to buy Cathe's new workouts. But now I'm curious after reading some of the responses regarding BSS3. I love The Firm instructor's, but not the new workouts.
My sis payed for a Firm weekend for us several years ago & I got to meet Jen Carmen, & Tamila Haste & Tracie Long when they were both pregnant, Susan Harris (got pics with here) & had a trainig session with Carissa Foster. I also briefly met other Firm instructors but didn't get the chance to talk to them much. Every single one of them are personable & very easy to talk to. (I wish I could meet Cathe in person!)
This time I'm going to buy Cathe's new workouts FIRST, & wait to read other reviews of the BSS3 set. I'm also not sure I want to spend the money on new gadgets. Are the stick & incline box worth the money? Anyway, my point is that Cathe has always been consistent, & I know that I will not be disappointed in ANY workout she does. I guess I'm a Cathe addict!

Deanna
 
Hi Deanna, The equipment is not necessary. The sculpting stick is only used for 2 add-ons with the newest system and you don't need it then. You can use dumbbells, a body bar, etc. Since you use Cathe, I'm guessing you have good club step. If so, you can incline it as Cathe does for chest work and use that for the step work. I tried this and it worked fine. The only problem I had was that at some points in the Firm workouts they turn the step sideways. You can, of course, turn your step sideways also, but it takes longer because of the different pieces (the top and risers). You can buy the 3 main workouts from the newest system at Wal-Mart for around $35.
 
I read a lot of reviews first before picking up the new FIRMs. Made the same mistake buying 2 of the BSS1 workouts although they do come in handy as add ons every now and then. Cathe will always be more advanced in comparison but the good thing about the FIRM is they use very little space. Some days I can't do another step workout. If there was only one workout from BSS3 that I would recommend, it would be Stephanie's Total Muscle Shaping. The music is good and compared to the recent Firms it is much better. It isn't a strength workout though, I'd call it more like a HARE.
 
Could I substitute my body wedge for the ramp or is it too squishy? If I can get by without yet another piece of equipment, it would be a good thing. :)
Valerie
 
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